This invention concerns a marine protection jacket. It is more particularly suited for wearing over an inflatable lifejacket.
The maritime activities or more generally aquatic activities exhibit risks whose main one is drowning. The persons exposed to such a risk therefore generally wear lifejackets and preferably of inflatable type, which once deflated constitute small space requirements and hence reduced inconvenient and that may be worn continuously. These lifejackets are generally of automatic inflating type, whereas contact with water triggers a pressurised gas cylinder to open in the lungs of the lifejacket. These lifejackets can be simple, i.e. solely comprise the lungs and the straps intended for holding them, or still be part of a functional assembly as described in the applicant FR-00/4730. This functional assembly comprises especially a set of safety shoulder straps comprising an inflatable lifejacket.
Similarly, within the framework of these activities, the persons can be is subject to detrimental environmental or climatic conditions, for example cold, wind, sea sprays . . . These persons must therefore protect themselves against these conditions. The functional assembly of the application FR-00/4730 can be therefore particularly efficient in that respect since it is suited to trousers. However, it is often necessary that the persons should also be protected better as regards their trunks, let alone their heads. In this view, protection jackets have been suggested. The expression jacket corresponds here to any piece of clothing intended for protecting the trunk and for example a jacket properly speaking, a blouson-style jacket, an anorak, an overjacket, possibly a waistcoat . . . Still, if wearing a jacket does not raise any problems when a lifejacket worn underneath is not inflated, the situation is radically different when the lifejacket is inflated and the jacket is closed since the thorax of the person is then compressed by the lungs of the lifejacket that are constrained inside the closed jacket. The solution for the person then consists in opening the jacket so that the lungs of the lifejacket can develop freely. This calls however for the person to be conscious and able to open his/her jacket, failing which the person could choke.
This invention suggests therefore a protection jacket doing away with these shortcomings. The invention concerns therefore a marine protection jacket comprising two front flaps, a fastener on the front intended for bringing together and fastening both flaps, whereas the said jacket can be worn over an inflatable lifejacket comprising two lungs arranged on the lateral and front portions of the user""s thorax.
According to the invention, both front flaps are interconnected via a piece of fabric forming bellows, whereas the said jacket must be slipped on as a jumper that is put on by slipping one""s head through the neck opening, whereas the said bellows are arranged inwardly with respect to the fastener in order for the fastener to remain accessible from the outside, and in that the fastener comprises two fastening means, the first means showing a resistance to forced opening of the flaps that is lower than that of the second means, the first fastening means being arranged toward the upper portion of the fastener and the second fastening means being arranged toward the lower portion of the fastener, the second fastening means enabling to close the jacket up to height corresponding substantially to the lower extremity of the lifejacket in order to avoid compression of the user when the lifejacket is inflated, the first means being open and the second means closed up to its upper extremity.
In various embodiments of the invention, whereas the following means can be used individually or in all their technically possible combinations, are implemented:
the resistance to opening of the first means is such that the opening takes place spontaneously as the lifejacket is being inflated,
the first fastening means is selected among the VELCRO(copyright) fasteners or snap fasteners,
the first fastening means is preferably VELCRO(copyright),
the resistance to opening is related to the type and the contact surface of the VELCRO(copyright) fasteners or the type and the number of snap fasteners,
in case when the first fastening means is made of VELCRO(copyright), a continuous band is implemented on each of the flaps,
in case when the first fastening means is made of VELCRO(copyright), a discontinuous band is implemented on each of the flaps in order to adjust the maximum fastening height of the said first means,
the second fastening means is selected among the zip fasteners, the VELCRO(copyright) fasteners or snap fasteners,
the second fastening means is preferably a zip fastener,
the first fastening means and the second fastening means overlap each other partially,
the jacket is made of an at least watertight fabric,
the bellows are made of an at least watertight fabric,
the jacket comprises a front flap intended for covering the fastener outwardly,
the jacket comprises a protection hood.